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Franziska Ottenstroer (née Benjamin) * 1869

Papenstraße 5 (Wandsbek, Eilbek)

HIER WOHNTE
FRANZISKA OTTENSTROER
GEB. BENJAMIN
JG. 1869
GEDEMÜTIGT / ENTRECHTET
FLUCHT IN DEN TOD
17.8.1943

further stumbling stones in Papenstraße 5:
Wilhelm Ottenstroer

Franziska Ottenstroer, née Benjamin, born 11 Feb. 1869 in Hamburg, died 17 Aug. 1943 (suicide)
Johannes Wilhelm Ottenstroer, born 24 Sept. 1871 in Ahlen, Westphalia, died 20 Aug. 1943 (suicide)

Papenstraße 5

Wilhelm and Franziska Ottenstroer, née Benjamin, married on 11 June 1898 in Hamburg. Wilhelm was Catholic, Franziska came from a Jewish family. At the time of their wedding they gave their occupations as tailors. The couple had one son Walther, born on 31 May 1901.

In their marriage certificate from 1898, Wilhelm Ottenstroer’s address is given as Neustädter Fuhlentwiete 65 (today: Fuhlentwiete), and Franziska Benjamin’s address as Kraienkamp 10 (today: Krayenkamp), both in Hamburg-Neustadt.

The earlier entries in the Hamburg address book might indicate that they each were self-employed and earned a living independently of one another. The 1899 Hamburg address book has a W. Ottenstroer who lived at bei den Hütten 46 and was a cutter. The 1900 Hamburg address book also shows Franziska at the address bei den Hütten 46. She ran a seamstress training institute. From 1901 Franziska and Wilhelm Ottenstroer were each individually listed at the address Billhorner Röhrendamm 113, Wilhelm Ottenstroer with the addition "shoe and boot storehouse". However no occupation is given for Franziska Ottenstroer. As of 1908 their residential address was given as Billhorner Röhrendamm 110, followed by a third address in 1915 at Süderstraße 164. In 1909 their business was noted as "shoewear”. Nothing is known about the success of their business. That year their home address was listed as Sophienstraße 29 (today: Detlev-Bremer-Straße) in St. Pauli. The 1922 address book first notes Papenstraße 7 in Hamburg-Eilbek as the Ottenstroer Family’s address. They remained at that address until the couple’s death in Aug. 1943.

According to her death certificate, Franziska Ottenstroer was found dead on 17 Aug. 1943 in the river Außenalster near Schwanenwik. The cause of death is given as "Drowned. Suicide". Apart from her death notice, no police records exist regarding her death.

Only a few days later Wilhelm Ottenstroer joined his wife in death on 20 Aug. 1943. The police death notice shows for him that he too was found dead in the river "Außenalster near Schwanenwik". The cause of death was also given as "Drowned. Suicide." The police records from 23 Aug. 1943 state the house at Papenstraße 7 was completely gutted by fire. "As a consequence it could not be determined what motivated Ottenstroer to kill himself."

No information is available about the special circumstances or hardships that drove them both to suicide in 1943. Their son Walther’s statements in the redress of wrongs file, though, indicate that the family was subjected to considerable reprisals and psychological distress. That included, in particular, his own fate and the possible deportation looming over Franziska Ottenstroer.

The Jewish Community’s electoral roll from 1930 shows that Walther Ottenstroer no longer lived with his parents at that time but at Winterhuder Weg 24. In 1931 he married Helene Lilian Schaufuß, born in Berlin in 1902. They had a son named Gerhard who was born on 15 Apr. 1932. At that time Walther and Helene Ottenstroer lived at im Dohlenweg 17 in Hamburg-Barmbek.

When the National Socialists took power in Germany in 1933, Walther Ottenstroer was nearly 32 years old. While his "race status” made him a "half Jew”, Walther’s membership in the Jewish Community made him "considered Jewish” (Geltungsjude), hence he was treated as a Jew. He was a trained shoemaker and his shoemaking business was taken away from him at the end of 1938. As of 1 Jan. 1939, all Jewish business people were banned from economic activity. The family had to give up their apartment at im Dohlenweg 17.

Later that year, in 1939, Walther Ottenstroer was forced to enter into compulsory labor in Harsefeld in the vicinity of Buxtehude. In Dec. 1940 Walther Ottenstroer declared his withdrawl from the Jewish Religious Association. That did not stop the National Socialists from saddling him with further coercive measures, albeit measures reserved for "half Jews”, meaning those treated as "crossbreeds in the first degree”: As of 27 Oct. 1944 he had to report for forced labor at warehouse G, in the Dessauer Ufer satellite concentration camp located at the Hamburg port, which continued until Jan. 1945. On 14 Feb. 1945 Walther Ottenstroer was deported from Hannoverschen Train Station to Theresienstadt, a sanction imposed on "full Jews” living in mixed marriages.

In Theresienstadt he was assigned to the shoemaker’s workshop. On 8 May 1945, Walther Ottenstroer was liberated by the Red Army.


Translator: Suzanne von Engelhardt
Kindly supported by the Hermann Reemtsma Stiftung, Hamburg.

Stand: January 2018
© Ingo Wille

Quellen: 1; 7; AB; StaH 332-5 Standesämter 2907-639/1889, 7267-873/1943, 7267-874/1943, 13519-338/1931; 522-1 Jüdische Gemeinden 922e Deportationslisten; 331-5 Polizeiwesen – Unnatürliche Sterbefälle 1943/1269.
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